Machines for attaching loose outsoles to the breasts of loose louis heels



Jan. 29, 1963 H. E. ELLIOTT ETAL 3,075,209 mamas FOR ATTACHING LOOSE OUTSOLES TO THE BREASTS 0F LOOSE LOUIS HEELS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 8, 1961 Inventors Harold 15' Elliott Jan. 29, 1963 H. E. ELLIOTT ETAL 3,075,209

MACHINES FOR ATTACHING LOOSE OUTSOLES TO THE BREASTS 0F LOOSE LOUIS HEELS Filed Feb. 8, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3 075 209 MACHINES FOR ATTACI IING LOOSE OUTSOLES TO THE BREASTS OF LOOSE LOUIS HEELS Harold Ernest Elliott and Sidney Frederick Lintott,

Leicester, England, assignors to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Feb. 8, 1961, Ser. No. 87,933 Claims priority, application Great Britain Feb. 15, 1960 3 Claims. (Cl. 12-164) This invention relates to machines for uniting loose prefinished outsoles and Louis heels, for example, preparatory to attaching the resultant outsole-heel units to shoes in accordance with commercial practice.

It is desirable in shoemakin-g to attach a prefinished outsole and Louis heel for example to a shoe as a unit. The outsole of a womans high heeled shoe, which commonly has a Louis heel, has a breast flap portion formed thereon, said breast flap portion being cemented to the breast of the Louis heel so that in the finished shoe the outsole presents a continuous surface extending along the bottom of the shoe from the toe end, along the forepart and shank and down the breast face of the heel to the top lift of the heel. Such heels vary in style, some having low broad breasts and some having high slender breasts. In joining the outsole and the heel it is difficult to determine the correct relation in which the-outsole "shall be joined to the heel so as to provide an outsoleheel unit of the proper allover length to fit the bottom of the shoe to which it is to be attached and so that the outsole and the heel shall be properly alined laterally to fit the shoe bottom. It will be appreciated that with shoes having high style heels, the problem of providing an outsole-heel unit which will fit the bottom of the shoe is complex because of the fact that the outsole is in the fiat condition when it is joined to the heel but the outsole is subsequently bent and twisted to assume the contour of the bottom of the high heel shoe and accordingly the position of the toe end of the outsole is changed subsequently with relation to the heel in assuming 'the shape of the shoe bottom.

It is an object of the present invention to provide 'a simple machine for quickly and effectively providing, with a minimum amount of effort on the part of the operator, outsole-heel units adapted accurately to fit the bottoms of shoes of different sizes and/or styles. With the above object in view and in accordance with a feature of the invention the illustrative machine comprises a machine for adhesively securing a breast flap portion of a loose outsole to a loose heel, a template plate having an opening a forward portion of which is adapted fittingly "to receive the forepart and shank portion of an outsole and a rear portion of which is adapted fittingly to receive the rim portion of an attaching 'face of the heel with the breast flap portion of the outsole overlying the breast of the heel, a resilient block, and means comprising mecha- 'nism for effecting relative movement between the template plate on the one hand and the block on the other hand for causing the fiap portion "of the outsole and the breast 3,075,209 Patented Jan. 29, 1963 of the heel to be forced together whereby adhesively to secure said flap portion of the breast of the heel.

The present invention consists in the above features and in novel features hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which illustrate one embodiment of the invention selected for purposes of illustration, said invention being fully disclosed in the following description and claims.

FIG. 1 shows in perspective, partly broken away, the illustrative machine in its idle condition;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the head of the machine in the process of attaching a loose outsole to a loose Louis heel; and

FIG. 3 shows in perspective an outsole-heel unit which has been assembled by the use of the machine.

The illustrative machine is described with reference to the attachment of a breast flap or covering portion 20 of a prefinished outsole 22 to the breast 24 of a prefinished Louis heel 26 to provide an outsole-heel unit 28 which is subsequently applied to the bottom of a shoe (not shown).

The machine comprises an upright pedestal 30 having in its upper end a bore 32 for receiving a depending cylindrical portion 34 of a table 36 having a flat upper surface 38, said cylindrical portion of the table being clamped to the pedestal by the use of a screw and nut connection 40. Secured to the right (FIGS. 1 and 2) or rear end of the table 36 by the use of screws 42 is a U-shaped plate 44 which extends slightly above the surface 38 of the table, and a retaining plate 46 which overlies and is spaced from the rear end of the upper surface 38 of the table.

The table 36 has mounted on it a template '48 the rear end of which fits in a recess 50 formed by the u -shaped bar 44, the retaining plate 46 and the upper face 38 of the table. In order to cooperate with the recess 50 in the accurate positioning of the template 48 on the table the template is provided with a bore 52 for receiving a stud 54 which may be positively secured to or spring-pressed upwardly on the table. The template 48 is made of a fiber, metal or other rigid material and has formed in it an opening 56 the left or forward portion of which, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2, is suitably shaped fittingly to receive the forepa'rt and shank portions of the outsole 22, which is preferably flat, and the right or rearward portion of which is suitably shaped fittingly to receive the rim 58 of the upper end of the heel 26 which is to be attached to the breast flap portion 20 of the outsole, said flap portion being turned up and spotted initially by the operator in front of the breast 24 of the heel.

The sizes and/or shapes of the openings 56 in the templates 48 vary in accordance with the sizes and/or styles of the shoes to which the outsole-heel units 28 formed by the use of the machine are to be attached. It will be appreciated that a considerable number of templates 48 will be required in the use of the machine but such templates may be selectively positioned quickly and effectively upon the table 36 by sliding the rear ends of the templates into the recess 50 and causing the bores 52 of the templates to receive the stud 54 on the table.

I 3 v The shape and size of the opening 56 in the template 48 is such that the resultant outsole-heel unit 28, which is formed by the use of the template positioned in the machine and other mechanism hereinafter described, willaccurately fit the bottom of the particular shoe (not shown) to which it is to be attached, having consideration for the necessary bending of the then fiat outsole to fit the longitudinally and to some extent laterally curved contour of the bottom of the shoe.

After the outsole 22 and the heel 26 have been positioned as above explained in the opening 56 of the template 48 positioned and secured to the table 36 the breast flap portion 20 of the outsole is secured to the breast 24 of the heel 26 by the use of an applicator 60, it being understood that the inner face of said flap portion and/ or the breast of the heel have been previously coated with cement or other suitable adhesive. The applicator 60 comprises a breast block 62 and a presser block 64 secured respectively by the use of pins 66, 68 to housings 70, 72 Which are journaled on the upper ends of pairs of arms or levers 74, 74a.

The arms or levers 74, 74a arranged at opposite sides of the housings 70, 72 have formed in them overlapping slots 76, 7611 through which pass shoulder screws 78 held in the associated slots by nuts 80, heads of said shoulder screws engaging respectively in vertical slots 82 formed in an upstanding yoke 84. Secured to a cross piece of the yoke 84 is a vertically disposed rod 86 pivotally connected to the upper end of a slide bar 88 movable with some looseness of fit along a vertical guideway 90 formed in a bracket 92 which is secured to the pedestal 30 and has threaded into it a guide screw 94 extending through a slot SSa-formed in said bar.

Journaled on a rod 96 secured to the base portion of the pedestal 30 is a treadle 98 pivotally connected to the lower end of the slide bar 88, said treadle being normally held in engagement with a stop 100 by the actoin of a. heavy spring 102 upper and lower ends of which are attached respectively to the pedestal and the treadle.

The lower ends of the opposite pairs of levers 74, 74a

are pivotally connected by suitable bearing pins 104 to the upper ends of links 106 pivotally connected by a bearing pin 108 to upstanding sides of the yoke 84. Mounted on one of the bearing pins 104 is a link 110 having formed in it a slot 112 through which the other bearing pin passes, said link serving to limit the open position formed by the links 106 and the lower ends of the levers 74, 74a.

The bracket 92 of the pedestal 30 has pivotally mounted on it a pawl 114 which is normally held against a rack portion 88b of the slide bar 88 by a spring 116 and secured to the pawl is an arm 118 universally connected to a manually actuated rod 120 which is slidable in a bore of a guide bracket 122 secured to the pedestal and is normally held in a raised position by a spring 124 which is interposed between the guide bracket and a collar 126 secured to the rod.

In order to hold the forepart of the outsole 22 in the opening 56 of the template 48 and against the surface 38 of the table 36 there is provided a manually actuated clamp 128.comprising a resilient pad 130 which is secured to a lever 132 fulcrumed on a bearing pin 134 secured to a bracket 136 attached to the under side of the table 36. The lever 132 is constantly urged upward on the bearing pin 134 by a torsion spring 138 and moves in a slot formed between the bracket 136 and a disk 140 fixed to a bearing screw 142 carried by and secured to the bracket. Pivotally mounted on the bearing screw 142 is a cam 144 which is constantly engaged by the lever 132. When the cam 144 is in its position shown in FIG. 1 the pad 130 is held by the spring 138 in a raised position in order-to enable the outsole 22 to be placed in the opening 56 of the template 48, the pad subsequently being moved to its clamping position against the outsole positioned in the opening of the template by reason of the cam being swung to its position shown in FIG. 2 on the bearing screw 142.

Preparatory to operating the machine the proper template 48 is positioned on the table 36 and properly shaped breast and presser blocks 62, 64 are incorporated respectively in the housings 70, 72 in accordance with the size and/ or style of the work to be accommodated. The heel 26 and the forepart and shank portions of the outsole 22 are then placed in the opening 56 of the template 48 with the breast flap portion of the outsole applied or spotted lightly manually on the breast face of the loose heel.

The operator then moves the cam 144 from its inactive position shown in PEG. 1 to its active position shown in FIG. 2 causing the resilient pad 130 to be forced against the forepart of the outsole 22 to press said forepart against the upper face 38 of the table 36. The treadle 98 is then depressed causing the breast block 62 to be forced against the breast flap portion 20 of'the outsole 22 to force said flap portion under heavy pressure against the breast 24 of the heel 26 positioned by the template 48 and to cause the presser block 64 to be forced against the rear end of the heel, the blocks being moved toward each other as they are moved downwardly and the construction and movement of the pads being such that the breast flap portion of the outsole is secured adhesively to the breast of the heel.

The treadle 98 is held in its lowered position by the action of the pawl 114 against the rack portion 88b of the slide bar 88 for a sufficient time to allow the cement between the breast of the heel and the flap portion of the outsole to set. The operator then depresses the rod causing the pawl 114 to be moved away from the rack portion 88b of the slide bar with the result that the treadle 98 is raised by the spring 102 to move the breast and presser blocks 62, 64 to their raised idle positions shown in FIG. 1, the outsole-heel unit 28 being removed from the template 48 after the pad has been moved away from the forepart of the outsole 22 in response to the swinging of the cam 144 to its inactive position shown in FIG. 1.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for adhesively securing a breast flap portion of a loose outsole to a loose heel, a table for supporting an outsole and a heel, a template having an opening a rear portion of which is adapted fittingly to receive the rim of the upper end of the heel and a forward portion of which is adapted fittingly to receive the forepart and shank portion of the outsole with a flap portion of said outsole overlying the breast of the heel, means for positioning templates having openings of different shapes and/or sizes selectively upon the table, a resilient breast block, and means for effecting relative movement between said breast block on the one hand and the table and the template on the other hand to cause said breast flap portion of the outsole to be applied adhesively to the breast of the heel.

2. In a machine for adhesively securing a breast flap portion of a loose outsole to a loose heel, a table for supporting an outsole and a heel, a template having an opening a rear portion of which is adapted fittingly to receive the rim portion of the upper end of the heel and a forward portion of which is adapted fittingly to receive the forepart and shank portion of the outsole with a flap portion of said outsole overlying the breast of the heel, means for positioning templates having openings of different shapes and/or sizes selectively upon the table, a resilient breast block, a resilient presser block spaced from the breast block, and means for moving the breast block and the presser block toward the template plate and toward each other to cause them adhesively to apply to the breast of the heel the flap portion of the outsole.

3. In a machine for adhesively securing a breast flap portion of a loose outsole to a loose heel, a table for supporting an outsole and a heel, a template having an opening a rear portion of which is adapted fittingly to receive the rim portion of the upper end of the heel and a forward portion of which is adapted fittingly to receive the forepart and shank portion of the outsole with a flap portion of said outsole overlying the breast of the heel, means for positioning templates which have openings of different shapes and/or sizes selectively upon the table with their openings overlying the table, a clamp for forcing the outsole in said template against the table, a tiltable resilient breast block, a tiltable resilient presser block spaced from the breast block, and means for moving the breast block and the presser block toward each other and toward the template plate to cause them adhesively to apply to the breast of the heel the flap portion of the outsole.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,236,613 Potter Apr. 1, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 202,574 Great Britain Aug. 23, 1923 271,642 Great Britain June 2, 1927 291,708 Great Britain June 7, 1928 

1. IN A MACHINE FOR ADHESIVELY SECURING A BREAST FLAP PORTION OF A LOOSE OUTSOLE TO A LOOSE HEEL, A TABLE FOR SUPPORTING AN OUTSOLE AND A HEEL, A TEMPLATE HAVING AN OPENING A REAR PORTION OF WHICH IS ADAPTED FITTINGLY TO RECEIVE THE RIM OF THE UPPER END OF THE HEEL AND A FORWARD PORTION OF WHICH IS ADAPTED FITTINGLY TO RECEIVE THE FOREPART AND SHANK PORTION OF THE OUTSOLE WITH A FLAP PORTION OF SAID OUTSOLE OVERLYING THE BREAST OF THE HEEL, MEANS FOR POSITIONING TEMPLATES HAVING OPENINGS OF DIFFERENT SHAPES AND/OR SIZES SELECTIVELY UPON THE TABLE, A RESILIENT BREAST BLOCK, AND MEANS FOR EFFECTING RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID BREAST BLOCK ON THE ONE HAND AND THE TABLE AND THE TEMPLATE ON THE OTHER HAND TO CAUSE SAID BREAST 